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January ??
1969: Lou Breese/Luigi G. Calabrese (68) American banjo player and trumpeter, born in Milford, Massachusetts. He began violin lessons when he was five years old, but in later years he concentrated on the trumpet. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music and paid his way through school by playing banjo at society debut parties and campus functions in the Boston area. He went on to work with the likes of Bert Lowe and His First String Orchestra, Paul Specht and His Orchestra, Lou Calabrese and His Hot Shotss, The Capitolians, and The Georgians. Luigialso, under the name of Lou Breese had his own radio show and dance band that was popular in the 1930's and 1940's. His career covered almost all facets of the entertainment world including night clubs, theatres, radio, and films (?) b. February 10th 1900.
2009: Ron Asheton (60) (death announced on January 6th) American guitarist and original member of The Stooges, the influential protopunk band founded in Ann Arbor in 1967, his distorted guitar was a hallmark of the Iggy Pop-led group. He appeared as guitarist on the Stooges first two albums, and later appeared as bassist for their third, "Raw Power", when he was replaced in both instrument and songwriting prominence by The Stooges' new guitar player, James Williamson. When the Stooges reformed in 2007, he once again appeared as the band's guitarist, they released "The Weirdness," their first album in three decades. Apart from The Stooges, he also played in the bands The New Order (not the UK band New Order), Destroy All Monsters, New Race, Dark Carnival, Empty Set, The Powertrane and more recently with Mike Watt, J. Mascis, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Mark Arm of Mudhoney among others. He was named the 29th greatest guitarist of all time in 2003 by Rolling Stone. (Found dead on his settee in his apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan, of a probable heart attack. He had been dead for several days) b. July 17th 1948.

January 1st
1972: Maurice Auguste Chevalier (83) French actor, singer, and popular entertainer; born in Paris, his trademark was a boater hat, which he always wore on stage with his tuxedo. Maurice's first working job was as an acrobat, until a severe accident turned him toward singing and making pictures. He was singing, unpaid, at a café when a member of the theatre saw him and suggested he try for a local musical. He got the part. He made a name as a mimic and a singer. His act in l'Alcazar in Marseille was so successful, he made a triumphant rearrival in Paris. He also made short films in France, the year being 1908. He joined the French Army in World War I, but was wounded, captured, and imprisoned by the Germans. While in prison, he learned the English language from fellow prisoners. After the war, he returned to making French films. When Hollywood started to make talkies, he decided to relocate to America in 1928. In 1929, he was matched up with the opeattic singer/actress, Jeanette MacDonald to make the movie, Love Parade. They made three more pictures together, the most successful being, Love Me Tonight. In the late 1930's, Maurice returned to Europe, making several French and English films. World War II interrupted his career for he was accused of being a Nazi collaborator - later being vindicated. In the 1950's, he returned to Hollywood, he was older and gray-headed. He made the movie Gigi (1958), this gave him his signature songs, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", and "I Remember it Well". He also received a special oscar that year. In the 1960's, he continued to make a few more films, and in 1970, he sang the title song for Walt Disney's, Aristocats. This marked his last contribution to the film industry (cardiac arrest after surgery for a kidney problem) b. September 12th 1888.
1953: Hank Williams/Hiram King Williams (29) US legendary country singer, guitarist, songwriter; he has become an icon of country music and one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century. A leading pioneer of the honky tonk style, his songbook is one of the backbones of country music, and several of his songs are pop standards as well. He had 11 number one hits in his career, "Lovesick Blues", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Why Don't You Love Me?", "Moanin' the Blues", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey Good Lookin'", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive", "Kaw-Liga", "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Take These Chains From My Heart"—as well as many other top-ten hits. He is ranked No.2 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003, behind only Johnny Cash. His son Hank Williams, Jr., daughter Jett Williams, grandson Hank Williams III, and granddaughters Hilary Williams and Holly Williams are also country musicians (died of a heart attack; before leaving the old Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, he injected himself with B12 and morphine. He then left in a chauffeur driven Cadillac, though contrary to popular belief, he did not have a bottle of whiskey with him. The only items found in the backseat of his car were a few cans of beer and the hand-written lyrics to an unrecorded song. When the 17-year-old chauffeur Charles Carr pulled over at an all-night service station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, he discovered that Williams was unresponsive and becoming rigid. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that Hank Williams was dead.. Over 20,000 mourners attended his funeral) b.September 17th 1923.
1984: Alexis Korner (55) French writer, radio broadcaster, pioneering blues and jazz guitarist, sometimes referred to as "the Founding Father of British Blues". A major influence on the sound of the British music scene in the 1960s. After starting out in the Chris Barber Band in the late 40s, he and Cyril Davies started working together and in 1961, they formed Blues Incorporated, initially a loose-knit group of musicians with a shared love of electric blues and R&B music. The group included, at various times, influential musicians Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond, Danny Thompson and Dick Heckstall-Smith. In 1970 he formed the group C.C.S/ The Collective Consciousness Society, in 1973, he formed another group, Snape, with Boz Burrell, Mel Collins, and Ian Wallace, and in 1981, he joined "supergroup" Rocket 88, a project led by Ian Stewart based around boogie-woogie keyboard players, which featured a rhythm section comprising Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts, among others, as well as a horn section (lung cancer) b. April 19th 1928.
1991: Buck Ram (73) US manager and songwriter to The Platters; he wrote 99% of the Platter's hits such as "Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Twilight Time", he also wrote, produced and/or arranged for The Coasters, The Drifters, Ike and Tina Turner, Ike Cole, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. He wrote the lyrics to "I'll Be Home For Christmas" as a sixteen year old college student as a gift for his mother. In 1942, Buck's publisher chose to hold the song for release because they were going to release Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" first. Not completely satisfied with the song, Buck discussed his concerns with two acquaintances in a bar. He left a copy of the song with them but never discussed it with them again. Both Buck and his publisher were shocked when the song was released. His publisher sued and won (?) b. November 21st 1907.
1997: Townes Van Zandt (52) US country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, poet; throughout his career he was widely admired by fellow songwriters, particularly in the folk and country genres, but greater fame eluded him, in part because of his unconventional vocal style and in part because of his erratic personal behavior. Many of his songs, including "Pancho and Lefty," "If I Needed You," and "To Live's to Fly," have been recorded by other notable performers and are considered standards of their genre. His songs have been covered by such notable and varied musicians as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Hoyt Axton, Tindersticks, Devendra Banhart, Norah Jones, Lyle Lovett, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Be Good Tanyas, Gillian Welch, and the Dixie Chicks. The film "Be Here to Love Me" chronicling the artist's life and legacy was released in the United States in 2006 (massive pulmonary embolus, blood clot in the lungs) b. March 7th 1944.
1997: Hagood Hardy (57) Canadian composer, pianist, vibraphonist, born in Angola, Indiana, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto. . He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming," and for his soundtrack to the Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea films. In the 1960's he played vibraphone in the bands of Martin Denny, Gigi Gryce, Herbie Mann and George Shearing. In 1992 Hagood was made a Member of the Order of Canada (?) b. February 26th 1937.
2006: Bryan Harvey (49) American singer and musician, he first gained attention in the early 1980s as singer-guitarist in a power pop band based out of Richmond, Virginia called The Dads. Popular at East Coast colleges, they released a self titled album in 1984 on CBS records. Harvey's subsequent musical career included long-time participation in the indie supergroup Gutterball, which featured former Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn. Harvey's most enduring project, however, was House of Freaks, a two-man band with Richmond percussionist Johnny Hott, who had a penchant for banging on anything he could drag into the studio that made the noise he wanted. House of Freaks split in 1995. Both members were involved with the making of the most recent Gutterball outing. Bryan completed a solo album in early 1997, which remains unreleased. (He was murdered with his wife Kathryn and their two daughters Stella aged 9 and 4 year old Ruby) b. April 27th 1956.
2007: Del Reeves (74) US country singer; he became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty-type songs such as "The Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell", both highlights from his career. He is also known for his 1968 trucker's anthem "Looking at the World through a Windshield" which proved he was capable of singing more than just novelty songs. He and his wife became a songwriting team, writing songs for the likes of Rose Maddox, Carl Smith and Roy Drusky, to name a few. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1966, his last Opry performance was in August 2002 (emphysema) b. July 14th 1942
2007: Thaddeus "Tad" Jones (54) US music historian and researcher best known for discovering Louis Armstrong's correct birthdate. He was co-author of "Up From the Cradle of Jazz", long anticipated book on the early life of Louis Armstrong was almost complete when he died. He was also responsible for conducting numerous interviews with musicians from every period and style of New Orleans music, many of which are housed in the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University. He also served as consultant for documentaries and films (died unexpectedly from a fall) b. September 19th 1952.
2009: Walter Haynes (80) American steel guitarist and music producer who worked with such artists as Jimmy Dickens, Del Reeves, The Everly Brothers and Jeanne Pruett. He also co-wrote a number of songs including "Girl on the Billboard" - a song that became a #1 hit for Del Reeves in 1965. An addition to his time in Dickens’ Country Boys group, he worked the road with Ferlin Husky and Webb Pierce. He also worked for 13 years as a staff musician on the Grand Ole Opry. In the studio, he was versatile enough to play on such disparate recordings as Dickens’ rockabilly-fused “Hey Worm! (You Wanna Wiggle),” to Patsy Cline’s elegant “Walkin’ After Midnight” to rocker J.J. Cale’s 1971 Naturally album. He was also a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame and at the time of his death he had been teaching music lessons in Bullard, Texas (?) b. 1928.
2010: Lhasa de Sela (37) American singer-songwriter who spent her adult life between Canada and France. After moving to Montreal when she was 19, Lhasa worked the bar circuit before releasing her debut album, 'La Llorona' in 1997. The album won the Quebec Félix Award in Canada for "Artiste québécois - musique du monde" in 1997 and a Canadian Juno Award for Best Global Artist, in 1998. In 1999 she joined her sister in France and Lhasa joined a circus, before moving to Marseille where she started writing songs again. She then returned to Montreal to produce her second album, 'The Living Road', which was released in 2003. She has appeared as a guest on albums with Tinderstick singing "Sometimes It Hurts", duetted with Stuart Staples singing "That Leaving Feeling" and featured on Arthur H, Jérôme Minière, and the French gypsy music group Bratsch albums. In 2005 Lhasa received the BBC World Music Award for Best Artist of the Americas. Her third and final album "Lhasa" was released in April 2009 (sadly died after a long battle with breast cancer) b. September 27th 1972.
2010: Gregory Slay (40) American rock drummer with the Birmingham, Alabama-based alternative rock band Remy Zero, who got their big break when the group's demo was heard by Radiohead, who were so impressed they invited Remy Zero to join them on their 'Bends' tour. Remy Zero went on to record three albums, scoring hit singles with 1998's 'Prophecy' and 2001's 'Save Me', which came from their album The Golden Hum was chosen as the theme tune for the WB's Superman restart show "Smallville.". They disbanded in 2003. Gregory then worked on his own music in the band he founded, Sleepwell, and various other projects, including his Emmy-nominated work on the theme song for the television series 'Nip/Tuck'. He also worked frequently with his former Remy Zero band mates, most recently teaming up with guitarist Jeffrey Cain on an album produced for musician Eliot Morris called 'All Things In Time.' (tragically passed away after a life-long battle with cystic fibrosis) b. ??.??.1969.

January 2
1973: Joe Harriott/Joe Arthurlin (44) Jamacian alto saxophonist; initially a bebopper, he is now widely acknowledged as one of the worldwide pioneers of free jazz. He was educated at Kingston's famed Alpha Boys School, which produced a number of prominent Jamaican musicians. He moved to the UK as a working musician in 1951 and lived in the country for the rest of his life.He worked freelance and in the band of trumpeter Pete Pitterson. In 1954, he landed an important gig with drummer Tony Kinsey; the next year he played in saxophonist Ronnie Scott's big band. His first album as a leader was 1959's Southern Horizon. He was big influence in the British Jazz world (cancer) b. July 15th 1928.
1977: Errol Garner (55) U.S. pianist and composer, one of the most virtuosic and popular pianists in jazz. He was influenced by Fats Waller and was entirely self-taught. He spelled Art Tatum in the latter's trio in 1945 and subsequently formed his own three-piece group, achieving commercial success with Concert by the Sea in 1958, one of the best-selling albums in jazz. He wrote some 200 songs, including “Misty,” “Dreamy,” and “Solitaire.” He developed a unique style of piano playing and toured throughout the world from the 1940s through the 1960s. Amazingly he never learnt to read music and remained an "ear player" all his life (?) b. June 15th 1951.
1981: David Lynch (52) American tenor singer and original member of the Platters, David, a native of St. Louis, and Tony Williams, along with Herbert Reed and Paul Robi, formed the popular singing group in 1953 and made their first hit record, ''Only You,'' in 1955. Their second big hit, ''The Great Pretender,'' became even more popular and provided the group with its first gold record. Other hits included "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". David left the group in the early 1970's (cancer) b. July 3rd 1929.
1987: Peter Lucia (39) American drummer and founder member of Tommy James and Shondells, whose period of greatest success came in the late 1960s. They had two number one singles in the US - "Hanky Panky" in 1966 and "Crimson and Clover" in 1969, and also released five other top ten hits; "I Think We're Alone Now," "Mony Mony," "Crystal Blue Persuasion", "Mirage", and "Sweet Cherry Wine". Peter co-wrote "Crimson and Clover". In 2006, Tommy James & the Shondells were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame (Tragically Peter died very unexpectedly, heart problems) b. February 2nd 1947.
1991: Mort Shuman (54) American singer, pianist and songwriter, after teaming up with Doc Pomus, working in New York City's Brill Building. Their songwriting collaboration saw Doc write the lyrics and Shuman the melody, although occasionally they worked on both. Their compositions would be recorded by artists such as Dion, Andy Williams, Bobby Darin, Fabian, The Drifters, and Elvis Presley, among others. Their most famous songs include "A Teenager in Love", "Turn Me Loose", "This Magic Moment", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Little Sister", "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" and "Viva Las Vegas". In 1965, he moved to Paris, France where he wrote songs for the French rocker Johnny Hallyday. He wrote and sang many songs in French, such as Le Lac Majeur, Allo Papa Tango Charlie, Sha Mi Sha, Un Eté de Porcelaine, Brooklyn by the Sea which became great hits in France. Mort was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 (died from complications due to a liver operation) b. November 12th 1936.
1997: Randy California (45) US guitarist, singer, songwriter and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit (drowned while rescuing his 12 year old son when he was sucked into a riptide in the surf off Hawaii) b.
2000: Nathaniel Adderley (68) American jazz cornetist who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. Born in Tampa, Florida, Nat and his brother saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley played with Ray Charles in the early 1940s in Tallahassee. In the 1950s he worked with his brother's original group, with Lionel Hampton, and with J. J. Johnson, then in 1959 joined his brother's new quintet and stayed with it until Cannonball's death in 1975. He composed "Work Song," "Jive Samba," and "The Old Country" for this group. After his brother's death he led his own groups, recording extensively, releasing around 38 albums. During this period he worked with, among others, Ron Carter, Sonny Fortune, Johnny Griffin, Antonio Hart and Vincent Herring. He also helped in the founding and development of the annual Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, held annually at Florida Southern College in Lakeland (?) b. November 25th 1931.
2002: Armi Aavikko (43) Finnish singer; best known for her duets with Ilkka Lipsanen aka Danny. She was chosen as Miss Finland in 1977. Armi achieved some posthumous fame in 2006 when an old music video "I Wanna Love You Tender" featuring herself and Danny became a notorious Internet phenomenon (pneumonia, brought on by chronic alcoholism) b. September 1st 1958.
2002: Zachary Sebastian Rex James "Zac" Foley (31) UK bassist with EMF; thrown out of school at 16 for having long hair, he gravitated towards the local indie music scene. He played for the IUCs before joining EMF on its formation in 1989. After finding a Casio sampler and sequencer in a local charity shop, they added a light techno element to their rock-orientated sound, and within a year Unbelievable had conquered the charts, reaching number 3 in the UK charts and was a number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and their debut album, Schubert Dip, went to number 3 in the UK Albums Chart. They made 2 more albums, 92's "Stigma" and 95's "Cha Cha Cha" . The band split after Zak's death (died due to an overdose of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, barbiturates and alcohol). b. December 9th 1970.
2006: Bill DeArango (84) US jazz guitarist, played and recorded with all icons like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (dementia).
2006:Michael Scott Smith (59) American jazz drummer and percussionist, he grew up in Meadville, Pennsylvania where his father exposed him to jazz at an early age. At age 8, he began taking drum lessons from local jazz drummer, Cootie Harris. In 1968, he joined his friend, bassist Terry Plumeri in the group, Love, Cry, Want, a free-improvisation group with jazz, blues, and rock influences. He eventually recorded with Plumeri on two albums, He Who Lives In Many Places and Water Garden in 1978, formerly titled Ongoing. In 2007, these two albums were re-issued on CD by GMMC records. Michael based himself in the Washington D.C., Baltimore area for most of his 40-year career, He played with many jazz greats including, but not limited to Dave Liebman, Herbie Hancock, John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Tommy Flanagan, Billy Eckstein, Astrud Gilberto, Freddie Hubbard, Herb Ellis, and Milt Jackson. (?) b.January 30th 1946.
2008: Ben Marlin (31) American bassist with the brutal death metal band Disgorge. Ben was playing bass as a member of the death metal band Strangulation, when in 1998 he was asked to join, Disgorge who were then just signing with Unique Leader Records. Shortly after they recorded and released their second album, "She Lay Gutted", in November 1999. They toured worldwide in Europe, North America and South America. Disgorge recorded their third album "Consume the Forsaken" in 2002 and "Parallels Of Infinite Torture" in 2005 touring in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Mexico and Indonesia to promote their new release. (Ben sadly died after battling cancer for more than a year and a half) b. March 19th 1976.

January 3
1967: Mary Garden (92) an important Scottish soprano with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She was described as "the Sarah Bernhardt of opera". (dementia).
1980: Amos Milburn (52) American blues & boogie pianist, singer born in Houston. He was one of the greatest pioneers in the history of R&B pounding out some of the most hellacious boogies of the postwar era, usually recording in Los Angeles for Aladdin Records, specializing in good-natured upbeat romps about booze and its effects that proved massive hits during the immediate pre-rock era. "Hold Me Baby" and "Chicken Shack Boogie" landed numbers eight and nine on Billboard's survey of 1949's R&B Bestsellers. Among his best known songs was "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer". In 1950 his "Bad, Bad, Whiskey" reached the top of the R&B charts and began a string of drinking songs. Amos's final recording was on an album by Johnny Otis. This was in 1972 after he had been incapacitated by a stroke, so much so that Otis had to play the left-hand piano parts for his old friend. (His second stroke led to the amputation of a leg because of circulatory problems. He sadly died shortly after a third stroke) b. April 1st 1927.
1981: David Lynch (51) tenor vocals; one of the original members of the Platters singing group formed in the 1950's(cancer)
1989: Eddie Heywood Jr (73) American jazz pianist, born in Georgia, he became very popular in the 1940s. He played with several popular jazz musicians such as Wayman Carver in 1932, Clarence Love from 1934 to 1937 and Benny Carter from 1939 to 1940 after which moving to New York. After starting his own band, he occasionally played back-up for Billie Holiday in 1941. In 1943, he put together the first sextet, including Doc Cheatham and Vic Dickenson. After their version of "Begin the Beguine" became a hit in 1944, they had three successful years. Between 1947 to 1950, he was stricken with a partial paralysis of his hands and could not play at all. In the 1950s, Eddie wrote and recorded "Land of Dreams" and "Soft Summer Breeze" and is probably best known for his 1956 recording of "Canadian Sunset," all of which he recorded with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra. After a second partial paralysis in the 1960s, Heywood made another comeback and continued his career in the 1980s.Eddie has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (?) b. December 4th 1915.
2002: Juan García Esquivel (83) Mexican band leader, pianist, and film score composer. He's known today mostly for creating unique jazz and lounge music. He arranged many traditional Mexican songs like "Besame Mucho", "La Bamba", "El Manisero"(Cuban/Mexican) and "La Bikina"(?)
2010: Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt (84) Chilean composer, a prolific composer in Chile before he moved to Germany to teach at Oldenburg University, a job he held since 1974. His catalogue includes 100s of compositions that goes from the most traditional to the most avant-garde, from popular songs to large scale cantatas, symphonies and oratorios. Highlights are his cantatas La Araucana and Lord Cochrane de Chile, the Macchu Picchu oratorio on texts by Neruda, the Concerto for Flute & Strings, and a most recent Harp Concerto from 2006, not forgetting the electroacoustic works. Gustavo also was an important teacher, some of his pupils were or are among the most important composers of Chile, these include Luis Advis, Sergio Ortega, Fernando García, and Cirilo Vila (lung cancer) b. August 26th 1925.

January 4
1969: Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (33) American musician born in Pittsburgh, he was one of the most influential jazz bassists of the 20th century. A prominent figure in many rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic improvisations. He was in great demand as a session musician recording with dozens of greats, and played on myriad albums during that period he was active including such landmarks as Thelonious Monk's Brilliant Corners, Coltrane's Giant Steps, and Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Many musicians wrote songs dedicated to Paul. Long-time fellow Davis bandmate, pianist Red Garland, wrote the tune "The P.C. Blues", and Coltrane's song "Mr. P.C." is named after Paul. Tommy Flanagan wrote "Big Paul", which was performed on the John Coltrane and Kenny Burrell Prestige 1958 LP. Max Roach wrote a drum solo called "Five For Paul", on his 1977 "impossible to find" drum solo LP recorded in Japan, and Sonny Rollins wrote "Paul's Pal" for him (sadly died prematurely of tuberculosis) b. April 22nd 1935.
1970: Neil Boland (?) English chauffeur, bodyguard and friend of The Who's drummer, Keith Moon. (Keith accidently ran over Neil as he was escaping from a Gang of skinheads after a fight broke out at a pub in Hatfield, England. Keith had never passed his driving test and never got over it) b. ????
1981: Ruth Lowe (66) Canadian songwriter, pianist; She wrote the song "I'll Never Smile Again" after her husband died during surgery. The song was later covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra (his first great hit) and The Ink Spots. Also she composed the Frank Sinatra hit "Put Your Dreams Away", Frank's 'signature' song, and was played at his funeral (?).
1986: Phil Lynott (36) Irish singer, bassist, songwriter, composer, founder member of Thin Lizzy; he released two solo albums and also formed and fronted the band Grand Slam. Born in West Bromwich, England, but when Phil was four years old, he went to live with his grandmother Sarah in Crumlin, Dublin, while his mother stayed in Manchester. In the mid 1960s, he began singing in his first band, the Black Eagles. Around this time, he befriended Brian Downey, who was later persuaded to join the band. Before long the Black Eagles broke up and Phil joined 'Kama Sutra' before settling into a short stint singing in (Irish) Skid Row. In 1969, Phil and Brian Downey formed Thin Lizzy with guitarist Eric Bell and keyboard player Eric Wrixon. Phil was the main songwriter for Thin Lizzy, as well as the lead singer and bassist. Their first top ten hit was in 1973, with a rock version of the traditional Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar". In 1980, though Thin Lizzy were still enjoying considerable success, Phil launched a solo career with the album, Solo in Soho. In 1984, he formed a new band, Grand Slam, with Doish Nagle, Laurence Archer, Robbie Brennan, and Mark Stanway. His last single, "Nineteen", was released a few weeks before his death (heart failure and pneumonia after being in a coma for eight days following a drug overdose) b. August 20th 1949.
1991: Leo Wright (57) A first-rate bop-oriented alto saxophonist, clarinetist, he was also one of the finest flutists jazz has known.().
1994: Rahul Dev Burman () Indian composer and actor born in Calcutta; he was famous for his unique, grunting bass singing style. Rahul sang playback in eighteen movies which he composed and he also acted in the film Bhoot Bungla (1965) and Pyar Ka Mausam (1967). Out of his 331 released movies 292 were in Hindi, 31 in Bangla, 3 in Telugu, 2 each in Tamil & Oriya and 1 in Marathi. He also composed for 5 TV Serials in Hindi and Marathi and scored a large number of non-film songs in Bangla (also known as Pooja songs or modern songs), which are available in different albums. () b. June 27th 1939.
1998: John Gary (66) American pop vocalist, crooner; considered by many to be one of the best crooners due to his extaordinary breath control and tonal quality of his voice. He had an exceptionally wide range of three octaves ()
2001: Les Brown (88) American big band leader and composer, best known for his nearly seven decades of work with his group Les Brown and His Band of Renown from 1938 to 2001. Before which he graduated from New York Military Academy in 1932, Les attended college at Duke University from 1932-1936. There he led the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils, who performed regularly on Duke's campus and up and down the east coast. The first feature length film that Les and the band appeared in was the war-time movie "Seven Days Leave" starring Victor Mature and Lucille Ball. "Rock-A-Billy Baby", a low budget 1957 film, was the Band of Renown's second movie and in 1963, they appeared in Jerry Lewis' comedy The Nutty Professor. Les and his band were also the house band for the Steve Allen show from 1959-1961 and the Dean Martin Variety Show from 1963-1972. They performed with virtually every major performer of their time, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat "King" Cole (?) b. March 14th 1912.
2003: Yfrah Neaman OBE (79) Lebonese violinist and an eminent pedagogue born in Sidon, Lebanon. He studied in Paris with Jaques Thibaud, and then settled in London where he continued his studies with Carl Flesch and Max Rostal. Yfrah gave the first performances in Britain of the violin concertos of Walter Piston in 1952 and Roberto Gerhard in 1955. He taught at the Guildhall School of Music and was artistic director of the Carl Flesch Competition. Among his students were Krzysztof Smietana, David Takeno, Wolfgang David, Sung-Sic Yang, Gennady Filimonov, Mihai Craioveanu, and Radoslaw Szulc. Yfrah was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1983 (?) b. February 13th 1923.
2004: Jake Hess (76) American singer Grammy Award-winning gospel singer in the southern United States and founder of The Imperials (heart attack).
2008: Keith Baxter (36) British drummer; in 1990, he became a founder member of folk metal pioneers Skyclad, releasing their debut album 'The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth' in 1991. After a tour with Overkill they recorded their follow-up album 'A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol' in 1992. Keith recorded 3 more albums with them before leaving in 1995 to move to London where he joined '3CR'/'3 Colours Red'. Their 1997 debut album "Pure" was follFollowing the band split in 1999 he formed the band Elevation with former bandmate, Pete Vuckovic. The following year he moved back to his hometown of Lancaster and briefly played with the Nth.Irish band, Therapy in 2002. Following 3 Colours Red's reformation and second split, Kieth played with Lancaster-based Baby Judas (sadly died from gastro-intestinal hemorrhage in hospital surrounded by family and friends) b. February 19th 1971.
2010: Sandro de América/Roberto Sánchez (64) Argentinian singer, guitarist and actor born in Buenos Aires, learning and playing Romani guitar as a child. In the 1960s he started the group Sandro & los de Fuego, which gained popularity on the TV show Sábados Circulares and had hits with songs like Trigal, Tengo, ¿A esto le llamas amor?, Eres el demonio disfrazado, Porque yo te amo and Rosa, Rosa. He was the first Latino singer to fill Madison Square Garden doing so five times during the 1970s. He was also the first singer to do a television concert via satellite, the concert was broadcast from Madison Square Garden in April 1970. This concert marked the debut of Latino music for a world audience. Sandro also appeared in various films, among others: Quiero Llenarme de Ti ("I Want to fill myself with you") and telenovelas, including Fue sin Querer/"It wasn't on purpose" (died from complications after having heart and lung transplant surgery) b. August 19th 1945.
2010: Tony Clarke (68) British musician and record producer born in Coventry started his musical career playing bass guitar in skiffle bands in the mid 1950s, and in rock bands into the early 1960s. At this time he also worked as a session musician for Decca Records, but in 1964 he transferred to the production department. He also worked as a songwriter; his tune "Our Song" was recorded by Malcolm Roberts and Jack Jones. His first production was with Pinkerton's Colours No.8 hit "Mirror, Mirror", soon followed by The Equals's No.1 hit "Baby Come Back" as well as writing "The Guy Who Made Her A Star" for the band. In 1966 he was given The Moody Blues, and produced what became their 1967 symphonic rock album "Days of Future Passed" which included the now classic track, "Nights in White Satin", it was also the first album to feature Justin Hayward and John Lodge. Tony produced The Four Tops for a UK-only release in 1972, which was comprised entirely of songs written by the Moody Blues. He stayed with Moody Blues till their 1978 comeback album, Octave, earning the name "the Sixth Moody" from friends and fans. He went on to produce a number of film soundtracks and produced the likes of the Irish folk rock outfit Clannad, Yes man Rick Wakeman, and Nicky Hopkins, among others () b. ??.??.1941.

January 5
1956: Mistinguett/Jeanne Bourgeois (80) French vaudeville performer born in Enghien-les-Bains, Val-d'Oise, Île-de-France. She began as a flower seller in a restaurant in her home town, singing popular ballads as she sold her flowers. Jeanne made her debut as Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris in 1895, and appeared also in shows as the Folies Bergère, Moulin Rouge, and Eldorado. Her risqué routines captivated Paris and she went on to become the most popular French entertainer of her time and the highest paid female entertainer in the world. In 1919 her legs were insured for the then astounding amount of 500,000 francs. She first recorded her signature song 'Mon Homme' in 1916. During a tour of the United States, she was asked by Time magazine to explain her popularity. Her answer was: "It is a kind of magnetism. I say 'Come closer' and draw them to me." (?) b. April 5th 1875.
1976: Mal Evans (40) Roadie, Beatles (shot dead by police at his Los Angeles apartment; he pointed a rifle at the police while upset).
1979: Charles Mingus (56) Jazz pianist & bassist, bandleader (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis popularly known as Lou Gehrig's disease).
1997: Burton Lane/Burton Levy (84) American composer and lyricist; best known for his Broadway musicals, "Finian's Rainbow" and "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever", He also wrote the music for the Broadway shows, Hold On to Your Hats, Laffing Room Only, Junior Miss, and Carmelina. He wrote music for many films such as Dancing Lady, Babes on Broadway, and Some Like it Hot. For a time, he was president of the American Guild of Authors and Composers, during which period he campaigned against music piracy. He also served three terms on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He is credited with discovering the 11-year-old Frances Gumm aka Judy Garland Lane's best-known songs include "Old Devil Moon," "How are Things In Glocca Morra?", "Too Late Now," "How About You?", and the title song from "On a Clear Day." He shared a Grammy Award in 1965 for Best Broadway Cast Album of the year "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (?) b. February 2nd 1912.
1998: Sonny Bono (62) Singer duo Sonny & Cher, solo (killed in a skiing accident at a resort near Lake Tahoe).
1998: Ken Forssi (55) US bassist; Love /studio sessionist (brain cancer).
2005: Danny Sugerman (50) US music manager; the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and who wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including 'No One Here Gets Out Alive' co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography 'Wonderland Avenue'. He helped film director Oliver Stone with the production of the 1991 movie The Doors. He also managed Iggy Pop, producing his song "Repo Man", and wrote the book Appetite For Destruction: The Days of Guns 'N Roses in 1991 (lung cancer) b. October 10th 1954.
2009: Sam "Bluzman" Taylor (74) American singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music has been recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley and Son Seals to DMX and EPMD. He was part of Joey Dee & The Starlighters when they had their hit "Peppermint Twist" in 1962. Through the 1970s, he spent his days writing, producing, arranging and teaching more notably for 1970s legendary Funk/Soul group B.T Express when they had their No.1 R&B hits "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" and "Express" in 1974/1975. He was also well known for his own blues work, of more than 12 albums, including "I Came from Dirt" and 2004's "Voice of the Blues", and his appearances at Long Island blues clubs. In 2006 he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and just before his death, he released his autobiography "Caught In The Jaws Of The Blues" (heart disease) b. October 25th 1934.
2009: Claude Jeter (94) American gospel music singer, known for his falsetto vocals; one time member of the Dixie Hummingbirds, he formed the Four Harmony Kings in 1938 with his brother and two fellow coal miners, which was later renamed as the Silvertone Singers. After the group was hired by a radio program based in Knoxville, Tennessee that was sponsored by the local Swan Bakery, they were renamed as the Swan Silvertones, the group would eventually become one of the most popular gospel quartets of the post-war era. During the 1950s many of the elements of the group's style resembled the then-prevalent rhythm and blues vocal group style. He received many offers to perform R&B or rock and roll, but rejected them all, citing a commitment he had made to his mother that he would always sing for the Lord () b.October 26th 1914.
2010: Willie Mitchell (81) American soul, R&B, rock and roll, pop and funk music producer and arranger who ran Royal Recording in Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of eight, he began to play the trumpet. While in high school, he was a featured player in popular local big bands. He later formed his own combo, which from time to time included musicians such as trumpeter Booker Little, saxophonists Charles Lloyd, and George Coleman, and pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. He was maybe better known for his Hi Records label of the 1970s, whose sound was derivative of Booker T and the MG's, releasing albums by a large stable of popular Memphis soul artists, including among others Al Green, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles and of course himself, as a trumpeter and bandleader he released a few popular singles for his Hi Records in the 1960s, including "Soul Serenade". He released his first solo record in 1963 and made another 16 instrumental albums over the next forty years. Willie and Al Green revived their successful recording partnership in 2003 when Green recorded I Can't Stop. They followed this up in 2005 with Everything's OK (cardiac arrest) b. March 23rd 1928.
2010: Harold Lewis (98) American flute player and session musician born in New York City. Harold was an accomplished flutist and respected studio musician for more than 25 years having worked at Disney, RKO, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Goldwyn, Universal, and Hal Roach Studios, where he performed in numerous motion pictures including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Bambi," "Pinocchio," and his piccolo solo can be heard in "The Three Little Pigs." Other films include "Citizen Kane," "The Ten Commandments," "Gone With the Wind," "Love With the Proper Stranger," "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm," and a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies. Harold was honored to accompany artists such as Mel Torme, Lily Pons, and Jascha Heifetz and to work with numerous talented composers and conductors such as Alfred Newman, George Gershwin, and Elmer Bernstein. (?) b. March 25th 1911.

January 6
1980: Georgeanna Marie Tillman (36) US singer with the Marvelettes, Motown (sickle cell anemia).
1986: Joe Farrell/Joseph Carl Firrantello (48) US jazz saxophonist and flutist; well known for his performance with Chick Corea in Return to Forever, as well as a series of albums under his own name on the CTI label having a major hit with his third album “Moon Gems,” in 1972, backed by top sidemen including Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke and Jack DeJohnette. He also recorded with Charles Mingus, The Band, Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Slide Hampton, Andrew Hill, Average White Band, Jaki Byard, Hall & Oates, Fuse One and Elvin Jones among others. He is bettwr known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's Return to Forever (died of bone cancer) b. December 16th 1937.
1993: John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (75) US jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. He was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz (cancer).
1996: Adrienne Brown (47) James Brown's wife. (suffered a heart attack during a major plastic surgery operation)
1999: Michel Petrucciani (36) French jazz pianist; Michel was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, in his early career his father and brother occasionally carried him, literally, because he could not walk far on his own unaided. Although he trained for years as a classical pianist, an enthusiast of Duke Ellington, jazz remained his main interest. He gave his first professional concert at the age of 13 and moved to the US in 1982, where he successfully encouraged Charles Lloyd to resume playing actively. Then on Feb 22nd 1985, with Michel cradled in his arms, Charles Lloyd walked onto the stage at Town Hall in New York City and sat him on his piano stool for what would be an historic evening in jazz history: the filming of One Night with Blue Note. In 1986 he recorded a live album with Wayne Shorter and Jim Hall. He also played with diverse figures in the US jazz scene including Dizzy Gillespie. In 1994 Michel was granted a Légion d'honneur in Paris (sadly died from a pulmonary infection) b. December 28th 1962.
2003: Hirini Melbourne (53) Maori composer, singer, university lecturer, poet and author, from Ngai Tuhoe and Ngati Kahungunu Maori tribes. He is known in New Zealand for his work surrounding the revival Maori culture. A member of Nga Tamatoa, which petitioned the New Zealand Government to have Maori taught in schools as part of its focus on Maori identity, he also studied at Auckland University and later became the Dean and associate professor of Maori and Pacific development. The power of his melodies and the brilliance of his compositions have still to be widely recognised, although dozens of his now classic songs are sung in classrooms throughout New Zealand. He regularly played with Richard Nunns. This partnership lead to the release of ‘Te Ku Te Whe’, a CD of original and traditional compositions for a variety of Maori flutes which has been awarded a Gold Disc Award. A second CD together with a DVD ‘Te Hekenga-a-rangi’ was released in 2003. In 2002 Hirini was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waikato where he had been a lecturer in the Department of Maori. He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2003 New Year’s Honours just before his untimely death a week later (?) b. 21 July 1949.
2005: Les Robinson (90) American jazz musician; started on the trumpet, but famous for playing and recording alto-sax and sometimes clarenet with the big swing bands of Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Howard Thomas to mention just a few. He was Artie Shaw's lead alto on the classic "Begin the Beguine" and all Artie Shaw's recordings from 1937 to 1939 (?) b. November 10th 1914
2006: Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls (72) US jazz, soul, R&B singer-songwriter born in Chicago. Lou was a high school classmate of Sam Cooke, they sang together in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a '50s gospel group. After 3 years in the US Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, leaving as a sergeant, he travelled to LA with The Pilgrim Travelers. While touring the South in 1958 with the Travelers and Sam Cooke, he was in a serious car crash. Lou was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital, it took him nearly a year to fully recuperate, allowing him to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959. This led him to be signed to Capitol Records. His debut Capitol solo release, a jazz album, Stormy Monday (a.k.a. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water) was the first of 28 albums made with Capitol. As well as his recording and touring career, he appeared as an actor in motion pictures and on television, and voiced-over many cartoons. He had been called "The Funkiest Man Alive". In 1967 Lou won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, for the single "Dead End Street" and he performed the national anthem of the United States, "The Star Spangled Banner", prior to the Earnie Shavers-Muhammad Ali title fight at Madison Square Garden. They requested him to sing the anthem many times over the next 28 years. Although he was seriously ill with cancer, his final performance there, was on October 23rd, 2005 at the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros, Game Two of the 2005 World Series. (complications of lung and brain cancers) b. December 1st 1933.
2007: Sneaky/Pete Kleinow (72) American pedal steel guitarist, co-founded influential 1960s country rock group the Flying Burrito Brothers; born in South Bend, Indiana, he originally worked as a special effects artist and stop motion animator for movies and television, including the Gumby, Outer Limits, and Davey and Goliath series. He also sat in with Bakersfield Sound-oriented combos and early country-rock aggregations playing the pedal steel guitar. This is where he became acquainted with Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of The Byrds, helping the group to replicate their newly country-oriented sound onstage with banjoist Doug Dillard. After leaving the Byrds, in 1968, Parsons and Hillman invited Pete to join their new band, the Flying Burrito Brothers. He left behind his career in visual effects and spent the next thirteen years as a professional musician. He became an in demand session player for an eclectic range of artists, including Joe Cocker, Delaney, Bonnie and Friends and Little Feat. In 1972 Sneaky teamed up with Laramy Smith in the super group ARIZONA. He also added steel guitar to records by Frank Zappa, the Bee Gees, John Lennon, Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac. In 1974 Pete was part of a new band, Cold Steel, and then a reconstituted Flying Burrito Brothers. His first solo album, Sneaky Pete, was released in 1978 and The Legend and the Legacy followed in 1994. He had also returned to special effects and created the dinosaurs for the comic film Caveman (1981), starring Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach. In 1983, his work on the television miniseries The Winds of War was recognized with an Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects.Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Pete created special effects for movies such as The Empire Strikes Back, Gremlins, The Right Stuff, The Terminator, and Terminator 2, while continuing to work sporadically as a professional musician. In 2000, Kleinow formed a group called Burrito Deluxe, the name of a 1970 Flying Burrito Brothers album. The group recorded three albums, Georgia Peach, The Whole Enchilada and 2007's Disciples Of The Truth, which feature his last studio recordings. Pete's last performance was at a 2005 Gram Parsons tribute concert in Waycross, Georgia, the home town of Gram Parsons (complications of Alzheimer's disease) b. August 20th 1934.
2008: Seymour Marvin "Cy" Leslie (75) American music and video executive, Cy began his career by founding Voco Records, producing record greeting cards and children's records. He later e founded Pickwick Records, and was the first president and founder of MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group. Pickwick Records aimed to make music more affordable, and carried such artists as Elvis Presley at various times. MGM Home Video was the first company to enter the home video business, which today has become the home entertainment industry including DVD and other sales (?) b. December 16th 1922.
2009: Ronald Frank Asheton (60) date his death was announced - US guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop and rock band The Stooges ~ b. July 17th 1948... MORE INFO

January 21
1984: Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. (49) US Soul singer; Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group, The Dominoes, before his solo career began with 1957's "Reet Petite," written by the then-unknown Berry Gordy, Jr. and recorded on the Brunswick Records label. His dynamic stage performances earned him the nickname "Mr. Excitement." & his performance of "Lonely Teardrops" on the Ed Sullivan Show is considered one of the show's classics. He recorded over fifty hit singles over a repertoire that included R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening before lapsing into a coma following a collapse on stage during a 1975 benefit concert. By the time of his death in 1984, he had become one of the most influential soul artists of his generation. (He had been in care ever since suffering a heart attack during a stage performance in 1975. His medical costs were paid for by Elvis Presley and soul singer Al Green, was one of the very few artists who regularly visited a bed-ridden Jackie) b. June 9th 1934.
1989: Billy Tipton/Dorothy Lucille Tipton (74) US jazz pianist, saxophonist and band leader who lived as a man for nearly 50 years; she gradually gained success and recognition as a musician when in 1936, as the leader of a band playing on KFXR. She/he joined Louvenie’s Western Swingbillies, a band which played on KTOK and at Brown's Tavern. In 1940 Billy was touring the Midwest playing at dances with Scott Cameron's band. In 1941 he began a two and a half year run performing at Joplin, Missouri's Cotton Club with George Meyer's band, then toured for a time with Ross Carlyle, then played for two years in Texas. The Billy Tipton Trio recorded two albums of jazz standards "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Billy Tipton Plays Hi-Fi on Piano", both released early in 1957. Among the pieces performed were "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "Willow Weep for Me", "What'll I Do", and "Don't Blame Me". In the 1970s, his worsening arthritis forced Billy to retire from music. (hemorrhaging ulcer) b. December 29th 1914.
1996: Dennis Fuller (37) singer of London Boys (killed in a car crash while traveling in Austrian Alps on a dangerous mountain road, and another car was trying to pass at the opposite side of the road. The accident was a head-on collision with a drunken Swiss) b. July 1st 1959.
1996: Edem Ephraim (37) singer of London Boys (killed in a car crash while traveling in Austrian Alps on a dangerous mountain road, and another car was trying to pass at the opposite side of the road. The accident was a head-on collision with a drunken Swiss. Edem's wife and a DJ friend also died).
1997: Tom "Colonel" Parker (87) Dutch entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley. For many years Parker claimed to have been U.S. born, but it eventually emerged that he was born in Breda, Netherlands to Dutch parents (died of a stroke, in Las Vegas, Nevada).
1997: Irwin Levine (58) American songwriter born in Newark; Irvine and Larry Brown together wrote over 40 songs, many popular songs such as "I Can't Quit Her", "(Say, Has Anybody Seen) My Sweet Gypsy Rose?", "Knock Three Times" and "Yellow Ribbon", which according to the Guinness Book of Records, with over 2,000 recorded versions it is next to the Beatles' 'Yesterday' as the most recorded popular song in history (died from kidney failure) b. March 23rd 1958.
1999: Charles Brown (76) American blues singer and pianist born in Texas City, a rhythm and bluespioneer, his style dominated the Southern California club scene on Central Avenue during the 1940s and 1950s, he influenced such performers as Floyd Dixon, Cecil Gant, Ivory Joe Hunter, Ray Charles, Percy Mayfield and Johnny Ace. In 1944 Charles moved to LA and was soon offered a spot in Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. On February 1st 1946 “Driftin’ Blues,” by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, enters the R&B chart. Written and sung by Charles the song reached No.2 and remains on the R&B chart for half a year, a significant milestone of the early postwar blues, it also received ‘Cashbox’ magazine’s award for R&B record of the year. This was the first of a string of hits for thr Three Blazers. Charles had his first solo hit in January 1949 with “Get Yourself Another Fool,” it reaches No.4 on the R&B chart, quickly followed by “Trouble Blues” which topped the charts for 15 weeks. His 1951 hit “Black Night” topped the R&B charts for 14 weeks. Over a two-year period, Charles' two biggest hits occupied the No.1 spot for a combined 29 weeks, a phenomenal feat. His last chart hit “Please Come Home for Christmas” in Dec 1960, has been covered by dozens of artists like many of his other songs. Charles recorded and toured throughout his life; his last studio album ‘So Goes Love’, was released in May 1998. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 months after his death, long time fan and friend Bonnie Raitt, a was his presenter(died of congestive heart failure) b. September 13th 1922.
2002: Peggy Lee/Norma Deloris Egstrom (81) American jazz and traditional pop singer Oscar-nominated performer. Jazz singer with The Benny Goodman Band, actress; became famous for her singular voice, sexy, subtle, simultaneously smoky 'n' cool and her unique jazz-inflected interpretations of popular tunes. (complications from diabetes and cardiac disease).
2010: Paul Lewis Quarrington (56) Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and musician, born in Toronto, and studied at the University of Toronto. As well as his (non musical) writing for TV, film and stage, Paul wrote his early novels while working as the bass player for the group Joe Hall and the Continental Drift. His most successful novel to date, Whale Music was called "the greatest rock'n'roll novel ever written" by Penthouse magazine. Musically... more recently Paul was also the singer/guitarist for the blues-country group Porkbelly Futures. Their first CD, Way Past Midnight was released in late 2005 and spent six months on the "Americana" charts. Their second CD, Porkbelly Futures, was released in April of 2008. It contains many self penned original compositions. (Sadly passed after a battle with lung cancer) b. July 22nd 1953.
2010: Leon Villalba (21) British guitarist with the London based heavy metal band 'After Death', which formed in 2005. (The band was in Brazil on the tour supporting Masters on the “Masters of Hate Tour 2010” when Leon drowned while swimming at the beach in Atalaia, one of the most dangerous beaches in Brazil, bandmate Timothy tried to go to his aid, but he, too, was over whelmed by the force of the waves) b. ????
2010: Timothy Kennelly (18) British bassist with the London based heavy metal band 'After Death'. He joined the band six months ago. (The band was in Brazil on the “Masters of Hate Tour 2010”. Tim is pressumed drowned while swimming at the beach in Atalaia, one of the most dangerous beaches in Brazil. He went to the aid of his drowning band mate, when he too was overwhelmed by the force of the waves, but his body is still missing) b. ????.

January 22
1982: Tommy Tucker/Robert Higginbotham (48) American R&B singer, pianist and songwriter best known for the 1964 hit "High Heel Sneakers", followed by a second hit, "Long Tall Shorty". He also co-wrote the song "My Girl (I Really Love Her So)" before leaving music in the late 1960s, taking a position as a real estate agent in New Jersey, he also did freelance writing for a local newspaper in East Orange, N.J. writing of the plight and ignorance of black males in America and the gullibility and exploitation of African Americans in general by the white dominated media. There are four of his albums selling in Europe and over the Internet, through the Red Lightnin' record label (he died when he was overcome by poisonous fumes while renovating the floors of his New York home) b. March 5th 1933.
1984: Dill Jones (60) British jazz pianist; Harry Parry Quartet/solo/freelance (throat cancer)
1994: Rhett Forrester (37) American singer, the lead singer of New York based band Riot from 1981 until 1984. After Riot, he performed on Jack Starr's Out of the Darkness, and put out two solo albums. (He was shot and killed in Atlanta, Georgia).
1994: Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas (70) American actor, singer; as well as his huge acting career, as a singer Telly had some chart success. His spoken version of Bread's If produced by Snuff Garrett was No.1 in Europe for 10 weeks in 1975 and his version of Don Williams' Some Broken Hearts Never Mend topped the charts in 1980. He worked with composer and producer John Cacavas on many albums, including Telly in 1974 and Who Loves Ya, Baby in 1976. His version of "If", was at No.1 in Europe for 10 weeks (prostrate cancer) b. January 22, 1994.
1997: Wally Whyton (67) British musician, songwriter, radio and TV personality; he formed the Vipers Skiffle Group, which became the resident band at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho. (?)
1997: Billy Mackenzie (37) Scottish singer born in Dundee. He led a nomadic life, New Zealand at 16, and travelling across America at 17. In 1976 he was back in Scotland where he formed the post-punk and new wave band Ascorbic Ones, changing the name to Associates in 1979. Billy became well known for his operatic voice and theatrical antics. They released thier debut album The Affectionate Punch in 1980. This was followed by 7 more albums. The band split in 1990 and Billy released the electronica-influenced solo album Outernational in 1992. Between 1987 and 1992 Billy had also worked with Swiss avant-garde outfit Yello, contributing to 3 Yello albums One Second in 1987, he wrote the lyrics of the song "The Rhythm Divine" performed by Shirley Bassey on the album One Second, with himself singing backing vocals. Flag in 1988 and Babyin 1991. He worked on many other collaborations including albums with B.E.F., Stephen Emmer's Vogue Estate album, Annie Lennox: duet on The Best Of You, and Holger Hiller's Oben Im Eck album to mention a few (He suffered from clinical depression, sadly he commited suicide, Billy overdosed on prescription drugs after the death of his mother) b. March 27th 1957.
1997: Ron Holden (57) American pop singer, born in Seattle, Washington and was discovered by Larry Nelson, who had just left work as a police officer to start his own record label. Ron then released the single "Love You So", which became a hit in the U.S., peaking at No.11 on the Black Singles chart and No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. He returned to the charts in 1974 with "Can You Talk?" (died in Mexico) b. August 7th 1939.
2002: Henry "Hank" Cosby (74) American saxophonist in the famed Funk Brothers and an African American songwriter and record producer for Motown Records. Although he worked with many of the label's artists, from The Supremes to The Temptations, Hank is best known for helming many of Stevie Wonder's early hits, including "My Cherie Amour", "I Was Made to Love Her", and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". He also co-wrote "Tears of a Clown", a No.1 hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. (Sadly died of complications from cardiac bypass surgery) b. May 12th 1928.
2004: Billy May (87) American composer and trumpeter; he wrote many TV and film themes including Batgirl theme for 1966's Batman "Somewhere in the Night" - Naked City, he orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among many others. He wrote arrangements for many top singers, including Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald, Jack Jones, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Hank played trumpet in various bands, during the 1940s big-band era, he recorded such songs as "Measure for Measure", "Long Tall Mama", and "Boom Shot", with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, and "The Wrong Idea", "Lumby", and "Wings Over Manhattan" with Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra. With his own band, he had a hit single, "Charmaine" and the released an album, Sorta-May (heart failure at home in San Juan Capistrano, California) b. November 10th 1916.
2005: Consuelo Velázquez (80 or 88) Mexican concert pianist, songwriter and recording artist. She was the songwriter and lyricist of many Latin standard songs, such as Amar y vivir, Verdad amarga, Franqueza, Que seas feliz, Cachito, Enamorada and, most notably, the enduring 1940s-era standard 'Bésame mucho', a romantic ballad which was soon recorded by artists around the globe, making it an international hit. She began playing the piano at the age of four, started her professional career as a classical music concert pianist, performing at Palacio de Bellas Artes and XEQ Radio, but later became a singer and recording artist. According to Consuelo herself, she was strongly influenced by Spanish composer Enrique Granados (died of respiratory problems) b. August 21st 1916 .. According to her obituary, she was 88 years old when she died. Most music resources, however, list her birth date as August 29th 1924, in Ciudad Guzmán, state of Jalisco, Mexico.
2006: Janette Carter (82) US singer, autoharpist, folklorist;the last living child of A.P. and Sara Carter of the Carter Family formed in 1926, the "First Family of Country Music." They recorded more than three hundred folk songs - songs in the public domain, which later became known as Carter songs. She also championed the cause of traditional American roots music into the 21st century.(Parkinson's disease).
2009: Charles Cooper (31) American musician, one half of the electronic-music group Telefon Tel Aviv, which he formed with his high school friend Joshua Eustis, in 1999. As well as touring the world they have released 3 full length albums and a compilation album of remixes. Their first album was released in the autumn of 2001 to positive reviews. They had just released their third full length album "Immolate Yourself" January 20th 2009 (?) b. April 12th 1977.
2010: Robert "Squirrel" Lester (67) American soul tenor and a founder member of the Chicago based singing group The Chi-Lites.The Chi-Lites began with the merging of two 1950s doo wop groups, Robert "Squirrel" Lester, Eugene Record and Clarence Johnson from "The Chanteurs", with Creadel "Red" Jones and Marshall Thompson from "the Desideros". Originally known as the "Hi-Lites", they became the Chi-Lites in 1964. Squirrel and the Chi-Lites went on to have hits such as "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)", "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People", "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl". Between 1972 and 1976 the band had a number of UK Top 10 pop hit records, including "Have You Seen Her", "Homely Girl", "Too Good To Be Forgotten", "It's Time For Love", and "You Don't Have To Go". They gradually became a regular on the oldies and soul circuit and were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 2000 and inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005 (cause of death has yet to be released) b. August 16th 1942.
2010: Apache/Anthony Peaks (?) American rapper, Apache was one of the three original rappers in Flavor Unit, a crew of emcees and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey, along with Queen Latifah and Latee as early group members. He appeared on hits such as "Smooth Yet Hard", "I Feel like Flowing", "Passin' the Mic". The rap crew Flavour Unit later consisted of groups or rappers like Lakim Shabazz, Lord Alibaski, Chill Rob G., Naughty By Nature, Freddie Foxxx, Nikki D, and Rowdy Rahz. Apache's appearances included collaborations with Naughty by Nature, Fat Joe, Tupac, and A Tribe Called Quest. He released his debut album "Apache Ain't Shit" in 1993 which featured his hit single "Gangsta Bitch" which peaked at #11 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart (died after a protracted illness) b.????

January 23
1548: Bernardo Pisano/Pagoli (57) Italian composer, priest, singer, and scholar of the Renaissance. He was one of the first madrigalists and the first composer anywhere to have a printed collection of secular music devoted entirely to himself. In 1546 Pope Paul III appointed him maestro di cappella of his private chapel, a position which he held till his death (?) b. October 12th 1490.
1976: Paul Robeson (77) multi-lingual American actor, athlete, footballer, bass-baritone concert singer, writer, civil rights activist, Spingarn Medal winner, and Stalin peace prize laureate; he sang in and was conversant in more than 20 languages ()
1977: Richard "Dick" Burnett (98) American folk songwriter from Monticello, Kentucky; he was known to play the fiddle and was blind in one eye. He allegedly wrote the traditional American folk song, Man of Constant Sorrow, which was later to be covered by Bob Dylan and featured in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou as another version (He died in Somerset, Kentucky) b. October 8th 1883.
1978: Terry Kath (31) US singer, guitarist, born in chicago, he was a multi-instrumentalist who played banjo, accordion, bass and drums, he played lead guitar in a band called "Jimmy and the Gentlemen" during the mid-1960s. He played bass in a road band called Jimmy Ford and The Executives. Kath's close friend, Walter Parazaider, played in these bands as well, and they were together in developing the band later to be called Chicago (accidentally shot himself dead while cleaning, what he believed to be an unloaded gun) b. January 31st 1946... READ MORE
1978: Joe Ames (52) US singer with The Ames Brothers, they notched up 50 U.S. chart entries and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998 (?)
1981: Samuel Osborne Barber II (70) American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music. He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, for his opera Vanessa and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. His Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a work for soprano and orchestra, was an acclaimed setting of prose by James Agee (died of cancer) b. March 9th 1910
1990: Allen Collins (37) Guitarist, founder member of Lynyrd Skynyrd;a 1986 drunk-driving accident killed Allen's girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down, and with limited use of his arms and hands, he never play guitar onstage again. (pneumonia, as a result of his earlier accident)
1993: Wayne Raney (71) US country music singer, harmonica player; he and his longtime stage partner Lonnie Glosson sold millions of harmonicas through the mail and did much to establish the harmonica as an instrument accessible and popular everywhere.(died of cancer).
1997: Billy MacKenzie (39) Scottish singer; Associates; notable for his powerful voice and vast vocal range. (suicide, overdosing on prescription drugs in his father's garden shed)
1997: Richard Berry (61) American singer, composer, songwriter, best known as the composer and original performer of the rock standard "Louie Louie". He began singing and playing in local doo-wop groups, recording with several of them including The Penguins, The Cadets and The Chimes, before joining The Flairs, who also recorded as The Debonaires and The Flamingoes in 1953. By the end of 1954, he left the Flairs to form his own group, the Pharaohs, while also continuing to work with other groups as a singer and songwriter. One of these was a Latin and R&B group, Rick Rillera and The Rhythm Rockers. In 1955, he was inspired to write a new calypso-style song, "Louie Louie", based on The Rhythm Rockers version of René Touzet's "El Loco Cha Cha" and also influenced by Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". In 1986 and again in 1993, he finally received substantial financial benefits for writing the song. In February 1996, he performed for the final time, with The Pharaohs and The Dreamers for a benefit concert in Long Beach, California (heart failure) b. April 11th 1935.
1998: Johnny Funches (62) US soul singer, lead tenor with the Dells. The Dells grew up in Harvey, Illinois and began singing together while attending Thornton Township High School. Forming in 1952 under the name the El-Rays, the group initially consisted of himself Johnny, Marvin Junior, Mickey McGill, Lucius McGill, Verne Allison, and Chuck Barksdale. Two years later, Lucius left in 1954 and they released a doo-wop single, "Darling I Know". In 1955, the group renamed themselves the Dells and signed with Vee-Jay Records and 1956, they recorded their first hit, "Oh What a Night" co-written by Johnny Funches, who also sang lead on the recording. It peaked at the top five of the R&B singles chart and sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In 1958, a car accident threatened to derail the group with McGill nearly losing his leg in the accident. The group agreed to split up to bide time as McGill recovered. Johnny left the group permantly. In 2004, Johnny along with the group was inducted to both the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (emphysema) b. July 18th 1935.
1999: Sax/Lincoln Thompson (39) Jamaican singer, musician and songwriter with the reggae band the Royal Rasses, and a member of the Rastafari movement. He was born in Jonestown, he was noted for his high falsetto singing voice, very different from his spoken voice. He began his recording career as a harmony singer along with Cedric Myton of The Congos in 1967 in a band called The Tartans who then split up in 1969. In 1971 he was taken on by Coxsone Dodd, and recorded 3 songs with him at Studio One called Daughters of Zion, True Experience and Live up to your name. In 1974 he recorded the Humanity album with Cedric Myton, Clinton Hall and Keith Peterkin, and set up the God Sent label in order to sell it. He had two hit singles with Love the way it should be and Kingston 11. (sadly died of cancer while in London, UK) b. June 18th 1949.
2010: Earl Wild (94) American classical pianist, child and studied under Selmar Janson, Simon Barere and Egon Petri, among others. As a teenager, he started making transcriptions of romantic music and composition. He was the first pianist to perform a recital on U.S. television, in 1939, as staff pianist for NBC. Earl was also the first pianist to stream a performance over the Internet in 1997. In 1942, Arturo Toscanini invited him for a performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, the first for orchestra and soloist, which was a resounding success and made him a household name. He is renowned for his virtuoso recitals and master classes held around the world, from Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo to Argentina, England and throughout the United States. (congestive heart disease) b. November 26th 1915.

January 24
1972: Gene Austin (71)US singer, songwriter who is considered to have been the first "crooner", best-known for his "My Blue Heaven," one of the most popular records of all time. In 1978, he was posthumously awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for his 1928 recording of "Bye, Bye, Blackbird", which has long been considered recorded music's definitive rendition of that song, and in 2005, he was nominated and admitted to the Grammy Hall of Fame (lung cancer) b. June 24th 1900
1886: Edwin Fischer (73) Swiss pianist and conductor one of the great pianists of the 20th century and one of the finest piano teachers of modern times ()
1963: Otto Harbach (90) US Song writer
1970: James Sheppard () US singer
1986: Gordon MacRae (64) American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, 1955's Oklahoma! and Carousel in 1956. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, he made his Broadway debut in the mid-1940s, and appeared in his first film, The Big Punch in 1948. In the 1960's Gordon appeared frequently on television, on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Bell Telephone Hour. In the late 1960s he co-hosted for a week on The Mike Douglas Show. He also toured in summer stock and appeared in nightclubs. In 1967, he replaced Robert Preston in the original Broadway run of the musical I Do! I Do!. (sadly died of cancer of the mouth and jaw) b. March 12th 1921.
1995: David Cole (37) US record producer and was one half of dance group C+C Music Factory, also known as Clivillés + Cole, a group he founded with musical partner Robert Clivillés. David and Robert also produced various hits for other artists such as Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Deborah Cooper, and many others. The duo were also responsible for the formation of pop group Seduction, for whom they wrote and produced a string of Top-10 hits, and resuscitated the career of former Weather Girls vocalist Martha Wash. His death in 1995 inspired the song "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (Spinal Meningitis) b. June 3rd 1962.
2009: Gérard Blanc (61) French singer and guitarist; He began to sing in the 1970s with the band Martin Circus. Then in the 1980s, he participated in the production of Princess Stephanie of Monaco's first album, and started a solo career. He has released 6 albums including a "Best of ..." in 2008 and charted four singles in France, including "Du soleil dans la nuit" his No.2 hit "Une Autre Histoire". He also went on stage at the Olympia on March 20th 2008 () b. December 8th 1947.
2009: Corey Daum/Corey James (39) American guitarist and vocalist; he was lead guitarist with the shock rock band Lizzy Borden from 1989 to 1995; he appeared on a couple of albums and in 2 Lizzy Borden video’s ‘We got the power’ and ‘Love is a crime’ as well as performing on the Master of Disguise tour. He moved to Nashville after the touring days ended (died in a car accident, after the car he was a passenger in ploughed across three lanes on the Interstate 40 motorway and smashed into a concrete wall. The driver, confessed to driving under the influence at the scene of the crime and has been charged with vehicular homicide) b. ??

January 25
1976: Chris Kenner (46) US singer, songwriter; in 1962 he produced his most enduring song, "Land of 1,000 Dances," which was recorded by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. Kenner's recordings were marked by his rough-hewn voice & the elegant arrangements & piano of Toussaint ()
1986: Albert Grossman () Manager of Bob Dylan, The Band, Janis Joplin, Todd Rundgren ()
1983: Lamar Williams (36) Bassist, Allman Brothers (cancer)
2005: Ray Peterson (69) US pop singer; as a youngster he overcame polio and his 4.5-octave singing voice made him the Golden Voice of Rock and Roll. In 1959 he recorded "The Wonder of You" which made it into the Billboard Top Thirty, a song later recorded by Elvis Presley with whom he became close friends. In 1960, he created his own label with his manager Stan Shulman, Dunes Records, he scored a Top 10 hit with "Tell Laura I Love Her", followed by "Corrina, Corrina" and "I Could Have Loved You So Well.". His last charting hit was "Missing You". By the mid 1960s he had become something of a phenomenon on the west coast of the United States, appearing live in numerous rock concerts with Paul McCartney lookalike, Keith Allison. In and from the 70's he became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit. (cancer) b. April 23rd 1935.
2010: Orlando Cole (101) American classical cellist and educator. Born in Philadelphia, he entered the first class of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1924 as a pupil and graduated in 1934. Along with Jascha Brodsky, Charles Jaffe, and Max Aronoff, he was a founding member of what was then known as the Swastika Quartet, in 1927. They soon changed the bands name to the Curtis Quartet with permission of the school's founder, Mary Louise Curtis. The Curtis Quartet was a pioneer in its time, and acclaimed as the premier string quartet in America during the prewar years and the first American quartet to tour Europe, including a command performance before Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of George V of the United Kingdom. They disbanded in 1981. Orlando taught at the Curtis Institute of Music for seventy-five years, first as Salmond's assistant while still a student and then succeeding his own teacher, he retired from the Curtis Institute in 2008. He also held master-classes all over the world and helped to found the Encore School for Strings in Hudson, Ohio, along with David Cerone (?) b. August 16th 1908.
2010: Jane Jarvis (94) American jazz pianist and organist, born in Vincennes, Indiana, was recognized as a piano prodigy at the age of five. Her family moved to Gary, and Jane was hired to play the piano at radio station WJKS in Gary in 1927. By 1954, Jarvis was on television at station WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, hosting a show called "Jivin' with Jarvis" while serving as staff pianist and organist. The Milwaukee Braves had just relocated from Boston and invited her to be the organist at Milwaukee County Stadium. She stayed with them for 8 seasons before heading to New York. In 1964 - 1979, she was hired by the New York Mets to play the organ at Shea Stadium. She is remembered at Shea for playing the Mets's theme song, "Meet the Mets", as the team took the field before every game, as well as for her renditions of the Mexican Hat Dance during the seventh-inning stretch. Jane also had a day job with the Muzak Corporation, Muzak was synonymous with soothing background sounds piped into elevators when Ms. Jarvis was hired for a clerical job there in 1963. She worked her way up to vice president in charge of programming and recording; when she began supervising sessions, she hired Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry and other jazz musicians. The result was canned music considerably more swinging than the Muzak norm, much of which the musicians, including Jane, composed themselves. She became a fixture at New York nightclubs, frequently playing alongside bassist Milt Hinton and became a founding member of the Statesmen of Jazz, a group of jazz musicians age 65 and older (Jane spent the final years of her life and died at the Lillian Booth Actors’ Home in Englewood, New Jersey) b. October 31st 1915.

January 26
1947: Grace Moore (48)American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film, nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Grace's first Broadway appearance was in 1920 in the musical Hitchy-Koo, by Jerome Kern. In 1922 and 1923 she appeared in the second and third of Irving Berlin's series of four Music Box Revues. In her operatic career, she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on February 7th 1928, as Mimì in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème, debuted at the Opera-Comique in Paris on September 29th 1928 in the same role, which she also performed in a royal command performance at Covent Garden in London on June 6th 1935. During her sixteen seasons with the Metropolitan Opera, she sang in several Italian and French operas as well as the title roles in Tosca, Manon, and Louise. Her first screen role was as Jenny Lind in the 1930 film A Lady's Morals, produced for MGM by Irving Thalberg and directed by Sidney Franklin. (tragically died in a plane crash near the Copenhagen, Denmark airport) b. December 5th 1898.
1973: Jay C. Higginbotham (66) American jazz musician; considered to be the most vital of the swing trombone players. His strong, raucous sound on the trombone and wild outbreaks on stage were characteristic.In the 1930s and 1940s he played with some of the premier swing bands, including Luis Russell's, Benny Carter's, Red Allen's, Louis Armstrong, and Fletcher Henderson's. From 1947 on he chiefly led his own groups. He recorded extensively both as a sideman and as a leader. He led several bands in the Fifties in Boston and Cleveland, appeared regularly at the Metropole in New York between 1956 and 1959, and led his own Dixieland band there in the Sixties (?) b. 1906
1985: Liaqat Ali Salaam/Kenny "Klook" Clarke (71) US jazz drummer and composer born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming. While still a teenager in Pittsburgh, he played in the bands of Leroy Bradley and Roy Eldridge. He toured around the Midwest for several years with the Jeter-Pillars band, which also featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and guitarist Charlie Christian and by 1935, he was more frequently in New York. As the house drummer at Minton's Playhouse in the early 1940s, he participated in the after hours jams that led to the birth of Be-Bop, which in turn led to modern jazz. While in New York, he played with the major innovators of the emerging bop style, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Curly Russell and others, as well as musicians of the prior generation, including Sidney Bechet. After 1968 Kenny played and recorded with the french composer and clarinettist Jean-Christian Michel for 10 years. In 1988 he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. (?) b. January 9th 1914.
1989: Donnie Elbert (53) US soul singer born in New Orleans; in 1955 he co-founded a doo-wop group called the Vibraharps serving as guitarist, arranger and songwriter, while largely relegating himself to background vocals. After releasing their debut single in 1957 "Walk Beside Me," he left the Vibraharps to pursue his solo career and relocated to the UK in 1966. His reputation was secured by his hit "A Little Piece Of Leather", a compulsive performance highlighting his irresistible falsetto voice. The song became a standard at UK soul clubs (stroke) b. May 25th 1936.
1998: S.P. Leary (67) Texan Blues drummer; best known for backing such music greats as Muddy Waters, James Cotton, T. Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson, and Howlin' Wolf. He began his musical career by touring with Walker and Fulson during the 1940s. His many credits include Howlin Wolf's albums, "I'm Leaving You", and "I've Been Abused", and Muddy Waters' hit recordings "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had". Other collaborators include Blind John Davis in the 1980s and pianist Erwin Helfer during the 1990s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 1995, and honored with the Key to the City of Dallas. (complications of a stroke and cancer) b. June 6th 1930.
1996: Stevie Plunder/Anthony Hayes (32) Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter born in Volda in 1945, and grew up in Fredrikstad; he played in bands from his late teens including The Shouties, Hippy Dribble, The Plunderers before forming the Australian piano-based rock band The Whitlams. In 1993, The Whitlams released their debut album, "Introducing The Whitlams". With a follow up album "Undeniably The Whitlams" in 1994. Their single "I Make Hamburgers" was made the Triple J Hottest 100 chart (found dead at the bottom of Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, apparent suicide) b. 1963
2010: Dag Frøland (64) Norwegian comedian, revue artist and singer, who was best known for his countless impersonations and successful variety shows in Oslo during the 70s and 80s. In 1967 he recorded Du skal få en dag i mårå, an Alf Prøysen classic, and in the following years continued to produce hit singles. In the early 70s he became the director of theatre Chat Noir in Oslo, and soon became a known face to the audiences, with his countless, impersonations of Norwegian celebrities and comic musical numbers. In 1979, he began a decade-long run of annual revues on Chat Noir, drawing full houses on every show (died in his home on the famed Bygdøy allé in Oslo) b. September 16th 1945.

January 27
1901: Giuseppe Verdi (87) Italian composer in vocal, opera, chamber, choral genres; one of the most influential composers of Italian opera in the 19th century. It was suggested that effective opera after Rossini was not possible. Verdi, however, took the form to new heights of drama and musical expression. His works are frequently performed in opera houses throughout the world, transcending the boundaries of the genre, some of his themes have long since taken root in popular culture - such as "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto, "Va, pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco, and "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The Drinking Song) from La traviata. (He died 6 days after suffering a stroke) b. October 9th or 10th 1813
1972: Mahalia Jackson (60) African-American gospel singer, nicknamed “Halie," she grew up in the Black Pearl section of the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Best known for her contralto voice range, she was widely regarded as the best in the history of the genre, and was the very first "Queen of Gospel Music". With her powerful, distinct voice, she became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world. She recorded about 30 albums, and her 45 rpm records included a dozengold million-sellers. She has been honored with 6 grammys, for her recordings "How I Got Over", "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah", "Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord" "Great Songs Of Love And Faith" "Everytime I Feel the Spirit" and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (Heart failure and diabetes) b. October 26th 1911.
1986: Nikhil Banerjee (55) Indian sitarist, composer, teacher; a child prodigy, winning an all-Bengal sitar competition at the age of nine and soon was playing for All India Radio. He became one of India's most prominent sitar players of the second half of the 20th Century. His concert career took him to all corners of the world and lasted right up to his death. He spent three months each summer teaching, performing, and lecturing/demonstrating at U. C. Berkeley.(?) October 14th 1931.
1997: Gerald Marks (96) American songwriter who has been recorded over 2000 times over the years. He is well known for the song "All of Me" which he co-wrote with Seymour Simons. He also wrote the songs "That's What I Want for Christmas" for the film Stowaway starring Shirley Temple, and "Is It True What They Say About Dixie" recorded by Al Jolson and Rudy Vallee. In the late 1930s and early 1940s Marks and several of his fellow hitmakers formed a sensational review called "Songwriters On Parade", performing all across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and Keith circuits () b. October 13th 1900.
2000: Friedrich Gulda (69) Austrian pianist who performed in both classical and jazz. Born in Vienna he began learning to play the piano from Felix Pazofsky at the Wiener Volkskonservatorium, aged 7. He won first prize at the International Competition in Geneva in 1946. Friedrich began going on concert tours throughout the world. Together with Jörg Demus and Paul Badura-Skoda, he formed what became known as the "Viennese troika". Although famous for his Beethoven interpretations, he also performed the music of Mozart, J. S. Bach, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Debussy and Ravel. From the 1950s on he cultivated an interest in jazz, performing with many Viennese musicians like Alexander Jenner, writing several songs and instrumental pieces himself and combining jazz and classical music in his concerts at times. In 1982, he teamed up with jazz pianist Chick Corea, they communicate in lengthy improvisations mixing jazz such as "Some Day My Prince Will Come" and the lesser known Miles Davis song "Put Your Foot Out" and classical music of Brahms' "Wiegenlied"/"Cradle (died from heart failure on the birthday of his beloved Mozart) b. May 16th 1930.
2006: Gene McFadden (56) American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As teenages, he and John Whitehead founded the soul group the Epsilons, and were discovered by Otis Redding, whom acted as their manager until his untimely death in 1967. Their songwriting ability soon gained attention when their song "Back Stabbers," recorded by The O'Jays, became a No. 3 pop hit, they became key members of the Philadelphia International record label, writing many songs for Philadelphia International artists and had hits such as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody (Part 1)", The Intruders' "I’ll Always Love My Mama," and their own, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" in 1979. They were instrumental in defining the sound of Philadelphia soul. (liver and lung cancer) b. July 2nd 1948
2009: Mino Reitano (64) Popular Italian singer, whose career spans over 40 years with 24 Italian hit singles under his belt, including 'Era il tempo delle more', 'Una Ferita in fondo al cuore Ciao vita mia', 'Stasera non si ride e non si balla', 'Dolce angelo', and 'Italia', He sang at many top music festivals and shared the stage with the likes of Graham Nash and The Hollies. He has made many appearances on TV and appeared in 5 films including "Tara Pokì" and "Lady Football" (died after long illness. In 2007 he was diagnosed with cancer of the intestine) b. December 7th 1944.
2010: Shirley Caddell (78) American country, rockabilly singer and ex-wife of Willie Nelson born in Chillicothe, Missouri; she reached No.10 on the Billboard country charts in 1962 with Willie on the duet, "Willingly," written by Hank Cochran. The single marked Willie Nelson's first appearance on the Billboard country chart as a recording artist. They were married from 1963 to 1971. Shirley's first charting single, "Dime a Dozen" by Harlan Howard, reached No. 25 in 1961. A few months later, a duet version of "Why, Baby, Why" with Warren Smith reached No. 23. In the late 1950s, she was a cast member of the Ozark Jubilee. In 2009, she published a book, Scrapbooks in My Mind: Featuring Shirley and Willie Nelson and Many Others (?) b. March 16th 1931.


January 28
1974: Ed Allen (76) US jazz trumpeter and cornetist; by 1910 he was playing in nighclubs and on riverboats which ran between New Orleans and St. Louis on the Mississippi River. In 1924 he moved Chicago and played with Earl Hines, also in a revue called Ed Daily's Black and White Show. He recorded extensively with Clarence Williams in the group later known as the LeRoy Tibbs Orchestra., also recorded in several bands of King Oliver's. He played in various dance bands through the 1930s and 1940s, then played with Benton Heath in New York City from the middle of the 1940s up until 1963. His last appearance on record was in England with Chris Barber in the 1950s. After 1963 his failing health resulted in retirement from music () b. December 15th 1897.
1983: Billy Fury/Ronald Wycherley (43) One of Britain's finest pop singers from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, he remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. He released his first hit "Maybe Tomorrow", in 1959. By March 1960, he had hit the UK No. 9 spot with his self penned "Colette", followed by "That's Love" and debut album The Sound Of Fury, which featured a young Joe Brown on lead guitar, with backup vocals by The Four Jays. He went on to have 29 chart hits including Wondrous Place; A Thousand Stars; Don't Worry; Halfway to Paradise; Jealousy; In Summer; Like I've Never Been Gone; When Will You Say I Love You; I'd Never Find Another You; Last Night Was Made for Love and Once Upon a Dream. He also appeared in the films I've Gotta Horse and That'll Be The Day. Billy had suffered with rheumatic fever, his health was slowly deteriorating and by 1976 he underwent heart surgery and again later. In 1980 he was declared bankrupt, this forced him out of retirement, against medical advice he went back to work. His last public appearance was at the Sunnyside, Northampton, in December 1982. He recorded a live performance for the television show Unforgettable featuring six of his old hits. He died the following month (heart failure) b. April 17th 1940.
2000: Thomas "Beans" Bowles (73) US sax player with Motown, band leader and freelance. He played on many top hits and originated the idea of the Motortown Revue, which took Motown's young talent on the road, spurring record sales and jump-starting careers. As well as playing with Marvin Gaye,Temptations, Martha Reeves, Four Tops, Mary Wells and other Motowners, he has also played with the likes of Bill Doggett, Johnny Ray, LaVern Baker and many others (prostate cancer) b. 1926.
2003: Keven "Dino" Conner (28) US singer with the R&B/hip hop musical group H-Town. He formed the group in 1992 with his twin brother Solomon "Shazam" Conner, and their long-time friend Darryl "G.I." Jackson. They had 9 R&B chart hits including their No. 1 "Knockin' Da Boots" off there 1993 album Fever for Da Flavor, which also made No.3 in the album chart (a sport utility vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the car he was a passenger in, which had just picked him up from the recording studio)
2003: Stan Martin/Stanley Martin Feuerman (64) US radio host, DJ; guests on his radio shows were the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett. He was also a M.C. for cabaret shows. His last radio position was as manager for New York's WQEW-AM (stroke) b. December 26th 1938.
2004: Mel Pritchard (56) UK drummer with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest. Mel and his life long friend Les Holroyd were together at Derker Secondary Modern school where they joined the school band, then went on to form Heart And Soul And The Wickeds. The band gained a good reputation playing semi-professional gigs on the live circuit. They were both founding members of Barclay James Harvest in 1966 and stayed with the band throughout it's history, resulting in 23 studio and live albums between 1970-1997. Following the band's split, Mel worked with bass player Les in his band "Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd" (suspected heart attack) b. January 20th 1948.
2005: Jim Capaldi (60) UK drummer; formed his first band at the age of fourteen and was soon recording with the Hellions. His next band was Deep Feeling which he shared with fellow 'Traffic' founder Dave Mason & 'Family' founding member Poli Palmer. The idea of Traffic was born while jamming late into the night with other bands in Birmingham after gigs. He was a member of Traffic in their 2 incarnations, from 1967 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1974. He and Steve Winwood wrote the lyrics of most of Traffic's best-known songs. Jim recorded his debut solo album, 'Oh How We Danced', during a gap in the band's career in 1972, and scored a U.S. singles chart entry with "Eve." He turned solo full-time when Traffic split in '74 and earned world respect in his own right with hits such as "Love Hurts", and "Its Alright". He drummed with several famous singers and musicians in his career, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Alvin Lee, and Mylon LeFevre. In March 2004 he was inducted with Traffic into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, just five months before being diagnosed with terminal cancer. His last solo album was released in 2001 'Living On The Outside' (stomach cancer) b. August 2nd 1944.
2009: Billy Powell (56) American longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. After majoring in Music Theory, he worked as a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd, until 1972 when he became a full member as their keyboard player. He suffered severe facial lacerations, almost completely losing his nose in the fatal plane crash of October 20th 1977. During the time between the plane crash and the Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion in 1987, he joined a Christian rock band named Vision, where his keyboard playing was spotlighted in their concerts. He played the Lynyrd Skynyrd 1987 tribute tour, and remained with the band until his death. Gary Rossington is now the only member from the classic lineup who continues to record and perform with the reunited band today. (heart attack) b. June 3rd 1952.
2010: Alistair Hulett (57) Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter, accoustic guitarist and revolutionary socialist; born in Glasgow, he and his family moved to New Zealand in 1968 where he established a reputation on the folk circuit. In 1971, at the age of 18, he moved over to Australia. For two years he sang his way around Australia's festivals and clubs before "going bush" for several years, where he began to write his own songs. After a two year hippy stint in India, he returned to Australia in 1979 and joined the punk band The Furious Chrome Dolls. By the early 80's Alistair was again performing folk material around Sydney and was a founding member of 5 piece punk folk outfit called Roarinng Jack. Their debut album, "Street Celtabillity", in 1986 reached No.1 on the local Indie charts. The band headlined major Australian rock venues as well as opening for overseas acts including Billy Bragg, The Pogues and The Men Thry Couldn't Hang. Their second album "The Cat Among The Pigeons" in 1988 was nominated for an Australian Music Industry Association (ARIA) award and was released in Europe. After the release of their third album, "Through The Smoke of Innocence", the band decided to call it a day despite another ARIA nomination. Alistair started out on his solo career releasing four albums and also collaborated with With Dave Swarbrick on 3 albums. His last album was "Suited and Booted" with The Malkies in 2008. Since the 90's he has lived in his native Glasgow, while regularly touring elsewhere in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. He's played in various musical ensembles including most recently his band the Malkies (liver failure causes by aggressive metastatic cancer) b. 1951.

January 29
1962: Fritz Kreisler () Austrian violinist () b. 1875
1966: Pierre Mercure (38) Canadian composer, TV producer, bassoonist, multi-musician and administrator. Born in Montreal, Pierre was hired by Wilfrid Pelletier as a bassoonist for the Montréal Symphony Orchestra in 1946. He played there for about four years, while also studying composition at the Conservatory with Claude Champagne. He began his compositional career in the world of ballet, composing four ballets in a short period in 1948 and 1950, he went on to compose many chamber, orchestral and electronic music as well. He sought to make the Canadian new music community catch up with the developments of western classical music in Europe and the United States, taking many trips to France in order to absorb its contemporary music scene. (died tragically in a car accident near Avallon, France) b. February 21st 1927
1992: Willie Dixon (76) American blues bassist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. His songs, including "Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", and "Bring It on Home", written during the peak of Chess Records, 1950-1965, and performed by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter, influenced a worldwide generation of musicians. He also was an important link between the blues and rock and roll, working with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in the late 1950s, and his songs were covered by some of the biggest bands of the 1960s and 1970s, including Bob Dylan, Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Allman Brothers Band, and the Grateful Dead.(heart failure) b. July 1st 1915.
2005: Eric Griffiths (65) Welsh guitarist; he, John Lennon, Pete Shotton and Rod Davis, were all at Quarry Bank High School together and shared an interest in American music, Eric and John attended some guitar lessons but found it too slow to learn and dropped the lessons when Lennon's mother taught them to play easier banjo chords. Lennon formed The Quarry Men with Eric, Shotton and Davis. Paul McCartney joined The Quarry Men as lead guitarist but the band decided that neither McCartney nor Eric were suitable as lead guitarist. When George Harrison joined the band they suggested that Eric buy an electric bass and an amplifier but he could not afford this and he was not invited to McCartney's house for the next rehearsal and when Eric phoned them during the practice session, John told him he was sacked. Eric went on to join the Merchant Navy, after with he spent over 30 years in the Prison Service. In January 1997, he returned to Liverpool to meet some of his former band members at the Cavern Club's 40th anniversary. All the surviving original Quarry Men were there and that evening they gave an impromptu performance with borrowed instruments on the stage. When the band were persuaded to reform for a charity gig in Woolton in July 1997 he had to buy a guitar and re-learn a few chords.(cancer of the pancreas) b. October 31st 1940.
2009: John Martyn OBE/Iain David McGeachy (60) British singer-songwriter, guitarist, multi musician. He began his professional musical career when he was seventeen, playing a blend of blues and folk that resulted in a unique style that made him a key figure in the London folk scene during the mid-1960s, releasing his first album, ''London Conversation'', in 1968. By 1970 he had developed a wholly original and idiosyncratic sound: acoustic guitar run through a fuzzbox, phase-shifter, and Echoplex. This sound was first apparent on Stormbringer! in 1970. Over a forty-year career he rerecorded twenty studio albums, and released 14 further albums and worked with artists such as Eric Clapton, John Paul Jones,David Gilmour, Phil Collins, He had battled with drugs and alcohol throughout his life and was forced to have his right leg amputated below the knee after a cyst burst in 2003, and in his latter years he performed from a wheelchair. On 4 February 2008, he received the lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk awards and he was appointed OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours. (More recently he had divided his time between Glasgow and Kilkenny, Ireland and died in an Irish hospital when tragically his ongoing health problems finally overcame him) b. September 11th 1948.
2009: Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford Jr (74) American R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, soul jazz alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter; he was leading his own rock 'n' roll quartet, "Little Hank and the Rhythm Kings"when he met Ray Charles. Ray Charles hired him originally as a baritone saxophonist. Hank switched to alto in 1959 and remained with Charles' band, recording 4 albums and becoming its musical director. .He left Ray Charles in 1963 to form his own septet recording 23 albums under his own name. He also has done musical arrangement for Etta James, Lou Rawls, and others and has recorded as a sideman with BB King and Eric Clapton (complications from a stroke) b. December 21st 1934.

January 30
1978: Greg Herbert (30) US sax player, with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Pat Martino, Woody Herman, Harold Danko, Blood Sweat & Tears, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Chuck Israels' National Jazz Ensemble and others (died of an accidental drug overdose while on tour in Europe with Blood Sweat & Tears) b. May 19th 1947.
1980: Professor Longhair/Roy "Bald Head" Byrd /Henry Roeland Byrd (61) US New Orleans blues singer and pianist. He was noted for his unique piano style, which he described as "a combination of rumba, mambo, and Calypso", and his unusual, expressive voice, described once as "freak unique". He was called the Bach of Rock and Roll for the clarity, varied and extremely accurate and "funky" syncopation, and the beautiful tone of his piano playing. He had only one national commercial hit, "Bald Head" in 1950, and he lacked the crossover appeal for the white audience of Fats Domino. But his rollicking, idiosyncratic, rumba-based piano and exuberant singing made him one of New Orleans biggest rock stars. His signature song, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" is still the theme song of New Orleans Mardi Gras, which he recorded in 1949 (heart attack) b. December 19th 1918.
1982: Sam "Lightnin" Hopkins (70) US blues guitarist, singer; His distinctive style often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals, all at the same time. His musical phrasing would often include a long low note at the beginning, the rhythm played in the middle range, then the lead in the high range. By playing this quickly - with occasional slaps of the guitar - the effect of bass, rhythm, percussion and lead would be created. He influenced many guitarists including Jimi Hendrix. It has been estimated that he recorded between 800 and 1000 songs during his career, including his hits such as "Mojo Hand", "T-Model Blues" and "Tim Moore's Farm" (cancer) b. March 15th 1912.
1984: Luke Kelly (43) Irish folk singer, banjo player, founder member of The Dubliners; he relocated to England in 1958 to look for work. The first folk club he came across was in Newcastle upon Tyne in early 1960. He started memorising songs and brought a banjo to play sessions in McReady's pub. The folk revival was under way in England, at the centre of it was Ewan MacColl who scripted a radio programme called Ballads and Blues. The skiffle craze had also injected a certain energy into folk singing. Luke started busking and returned to Dublin in 1962. That same year Luke along with Ronnie Drew, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna formed "The Ronnie Drew Group", playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub. They changed their name due to Drew's unhappiness with the name, coinciding with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners by James Joyce at the time. In 1964 Luke Kelly left the group for nearly two years, he went back to London and became involved in Ewan MacColl's "gathering". The Critics, as it was called, was formed to explore folk traditions and help young singers. He greatly admired MacColl and saw his time with The Critics as an apprenticeship. Back with The Dubliners, Luke was more of the balladeer in the band, and he played chords on the five-string banjo and sang many defining versions of traditional songs like "The Black Velvet Band", "Whiskey in the Jar", "Home Boys Home". On June 30th 1980 during a concert in the Cork Opera House, Luke collapsed on the stage, a brain tumour was diagnosed. He continued to tour with the Dubliners after enduring an operation, but his health sadly deteriorated further. The Ballybough Bridge in the north inner city of Dublin has been renamed the "Luke Kelly Bridge" and in November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke (On his European tour in autumn 1983 he came off the stage in Traun, Austria and again in Mannheim, Germany. Shortly after he had to cancel the tour of southern Germany and after a short stay in hospital in Heidelberg was flown back to Dublin. After another operation he spent Christmas with his family but was taken into hospital again in the New Year, where he died) b. November 17th 1940.
1998: Richard Cassilly (70) American operatic tenor born in Washington D.C.; he entered the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University where he studied singing with Hans Heinz. He went on have a major international opera career between 1954 and 1990. One of his generation's leading tenors, a mainstay in the heldentenor repertory in opera houses around the world for 30 years and particularly excelled in Wagnerian roles like Tristan, Siegmund and Tannhäuser, and in dramatic parts that required both stamina and vocal weight, such as Giuseppe Verdi's "Otello" and Camille Saint-Saëns's "Samson". He was also an admired Don José in Carmen and sang almost all of the leading Puccini tenor roles. (A few days prior to his death he fell on the ice hitting his head. It was thought to be a mild concussion but sadly the fall had caused a cerebral hemorrhage which was fatal) b. December 14th 1927.
2002: Carlo Karges (50) German musician; guitar, keyboards, songwriter; he began as a student to play guitar and to compose songs. After he had gathered experience playing live in several different groups, including Tomorrows’ It Poison and Release Music Orchestra, by 1971 he was the guitarist and keyboardist and founding member of Novalis. In 1981 he joined Gabriele "Nena" Kerner in establishing Nena. Karges co-wrote their most famous song, "99 Luftballons" (liver failure) b. July 31st 1951.
2004: Malachi Favors/Malachi Favors Maghostut (76) US avant-garde jazz double bass player, but also played the electric bass guitar, banjo, zither, gong, and other instruments. He is most associated with bebop, hard bop, free jazz and best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Early performances included work with Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard, one of his earliest recordings was with Chicago pianist Andrew Hill in 1957. He began working with Roscoe Mitchell in 1966; this group eventually became the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He also worked outside the group, with artists including Sunny Murrary, Archie Shepp, and Dewey Redman. (pancreatic cancer) b. August 22nd 1927.
2005: Martyn Bennett (33) Scottish-Canadian musician, born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He played the Great Highland bagpipes, Scottish smallpipes, violin, piano and was extremely influential in the evolution of modern Celtic Fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He performed at the world premiere party for the film Braveheart. His composition, Mackay's Memoirs, was played at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 by the band of Broughton High School, the album Mackay's Memoirs was recorded by Broughton High School the morning after his death. His last album in 2003, Grit, was recorded during his struggle with cancer and marks a drastic change in his sound since, he became too weak to play his instruments and had to rely entirely on samples and synthesizers in order to keep creating music (cancer) b. February 17th 1971.
2005: Wes Wehmiller (33) US bassist; at high school, he was an award-winning member of the Delaware All State Jazz Band, receiving the Delaware Music Educators' "Award of Distinction.". He worked with many other musicians in L.A. before founding his own band "I, Claudius". When bassist John Taylor bowed out of Duran Duran in 1997, he took his place, touring and performing on television with the band until 2001. After which he worked with Warren Cuccurullo, Missing Persons, and several other L.A. bands. In 2004, he played with Mike Keneally (thyroid cancer) b. September 12th 1971.
2009: Mike Francis (47) Italian pop musician; he formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l'Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. He had his first hit with "Survivor" in 1982 and went on to record ten studio albums, he recorded his last album "Inspired" in 2007. A best of album, "The very best of Mike Francis (All was missing)" have just been released (lung cancer) b. April 26th 1961.
2010: Antiochos Evangelatos II (24) Greek rapper (cardiac arrest) b. ????

January 31
1970: Slim Harpo/Harmonica Slim/James Moore (46) Influential blues - R&B singer, known as one of the masters of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was a humorous takeoff on "harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles. He began performing in Baton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim. He later accompanied Lightnin' Slim, his brother-in-law, both live and in the studio, before commencing his own recording career in 1957. Named Slim Harpo by producer Jay Miller, his solo debut coupled "I'm a King Bee" with "I Got Love If You Want It." Influenced by Jimmy Reed, he began recording for Excello Records, and enjoyed a string of popular R&B singles which combined a drawling vocal with incisive harmonica passages. Among them were "Rainin' In My Heart", "I Love The Life I Live", "Buzzin'" (instrumental) and "Little Queen Bee". The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, ZZ Topp and many other artists have covered his hits (died unexpectedly of a heart attack) b.January 11th 1924.
1976: Evert Taube (85) Swedish author, lute player, composer and singer, born in Gothenburg, and brought up on the island of Vinga, Västergötland. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians. Among his most famous songs are "Calle Schewens vals", "Min älskling (du är som en ros)", "Dans på Sunnanö", "Flickan i Havanna", "Änglamark'", "Så skimrande var aldrig havet" and "Så länge skutan kan gå". On his 60th birthday in 1950, Taube received the Bellman Award from the Swedish Academy and in 1960 he received an honorary doctorate from Gothenburg University. He was elected as a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1970 (?) b. March 12th 1890
1981: William "Cozy" Cole (71) American jazz drummer; he had a No.1 hit in 1958 with the record "Topsy Part 2", that contained a lengthy drum solo, and was one of the few drum solo recordings that ever made the Billboard Hot 100. His started out with Wilber Sweatman in 1928. In 1930 he played for Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, recording an early drum solo on "Load of Cole". He went on to play/record with Blanche Calloway, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Stuff Smith's small combo, and 1 Cab Calloway. In 1942, he was hired by CBS Radio music director Raymond Scott as part of network radio's first mixed-race orchestra. He also appeared in music-related films, including a brief cameo in Don't Knock the Rock. (cancer) b. October 17th 1909.
1983: Lorraine Ellison (51) African-American female soul singer, best known for her recording of the song "Stay With Me Baby" and "Heart Be Still" in the 60's. She originally sang with two gospel groups, the Ellison Singers and the Golden Chords, before moving to R&B in 1964. Her first chart entry was with a cover of Jerry Butler's "I Dig You Baby" in 1965. Ellison also recorded "Just a Little Bit Harder", a song later covered to more success by Janis Joplin. She signed with the Loma record label and recorded the soul classic "Stay With Me Baby" at a last minute booking, following a studio cancellation by Frank Sinatra (ovarian cancer) b. March 17th 1931.
2007: Kirka Babitzin (56) Finnish singer; one of Finland's most famous and popular musicians. He won an accordion competition at the age of ten, but soon ditched the squeezebox for rock and roll music. His first band was The Creatures, which he joined in 1964. In 1967 he joined the band The Islanders, and went on to become a household name in dance halls and festivals all over Finland. He also recorded with Blues Section. His trademark was to be his powerful, throaty voice; simultaneously shrill and soulful, it is instantly recognizable to generations of Finnish music lover and was awarded the Emma award for best male singer twice, first in 1984 and then in 2000. (He died suddenly at his home of undisclosed acute illness) b. September 22nd 1950.
2009: Dewey Martin/Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff (68) Canadian rock drummer and singer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield. He moved to Nashville in 1960 where he became an in demand session drummer playing and recording with the likes of Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, Patsy Cline, Everly Brothers, Faron Young and Roy Orbison among others. In 1963, he travelled to Los Angeles with Faron Young's band where he decided to stay. He first worked with a group called Lucky Lee & The Blue Diamonds. In November 1964, he recorded his first single, "White Cliffs of Dover". He aslo worked with Sir Raleigh & The Cupons; The Standells; MFQ; and The Dillards before becoming a founding member of notoriously volatile band, Buffalo Springfield, playing on all 3 of their albums. Since the band slit in 1968, he has played, toured, or/and recorded with New Buffalo Springfield, Medicine Ball, Electric Range, Pink Slip, The Meisner-Roberts Band and Buffalo Springfield Revisited. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Sadly a somewhat unheralded drummer, but it must be remembered in his era, he was an influentual drummer with unique skills, also well known for his many pranks, his battle with the demon drink and for having an incredibly kind soul (cause of death unknown) b. September 30th 1940.
2010: Pauly Fuemana (40) New Zealander singer born in Otara, Auckland, NZ; Pauly, with friend Alan Jansson formed the duo Otara Millionaires Club aka OMC in 1995. Pauly fronted the project, while the music and tracks were created by both of them. OMC, with Sina Siapaia as the female backing vocalist released the single "How Bizarre" in New Zealand in 1995. It was an immediate smash hit reaching No.1. In 1996 "How Bizarre" went to No.1 in Australia, No.5 in the UK and No.1 in countries across Europe and much of the rest of the world. It was followed by their debut album, also entitled How Bizarre and the single "Right On". Their third single "On the Run" reached No.56 on the UK singles charts in 1997.. By mid-2000, OMC had broken up but Pauly used the group's acronym as a solo artist. They later re-formed in 2007, releasing the single "4 All of Us". (sadly died after a short illness) b. February 8th 1969

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